Sisi ratifies National Press Authority law

CAIRO – 31 August 2018: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has ratified on Friday, law No. 179 of 2018 to regulate the National Press Authority (NPA); the law was previously approved by the Parliament.

The executive regulations of the law are expected to be issued by the cabinet within the three coming months. The decree was published in the official gazette.

Earlier on June shortly after being ratified by parliament, this [journalism] law, caused a huge state of controversy among journalists and raised several questions on whether it will preserve their rights or imposes more restrains over media in Egypt.

The new law consists of seven sections and specifies the administrative construction of newspapers' high board, owners and defines exactly what it means to be a journalist.

According to the new law, a journalist is “anyone listed as a member of the Journalists Syndicate.” The new law also lists the National Media Authority and the National Press Authority rights to interfere, manage and direct all of the Egyptian media outlets.

Several concerns were raised by a number of members of the Journalists Syndicate regarding the new law. A debate was launched on the ground and on social media between supporters and opponents of the new law.

In the opposing statement, which was signed by hundreds of journalists, the Journalists Syndicate members listed several points referring to the new law as “standing against the freedom of media and journalists.”

However, other officials described the new law as “balanced.” Head of Parliament’s Media, Culture and Antiquities Committee, Osama Heikal, said in statements to media outlets that the new law sets a number of the needed principles to regulate media work inside the country, adding that the law is balanced and protects journalists and their rights.

Some administrative regulations were among the criticized points in the new law, including: reducing the representation of journalists in the board of directors to the minimum and appointing half of the board members from outside the media institution, as well as allowing the National Press Authority to directly manage the newspapers board of directors and public associations.

“The new law doesn’t allow the newspapers' board to make any important decisions without getting the authority's permission,” the statement read.

According to the statement, the new law also stipulates that the journalists have the right to reach for all the information they need; however, the law didn’t impose any punishment on anyone who hinders their access to information. The statement signers also criticized the National Media Authority's capability to impose sanctions over journalists and the Journalists Syndicate.

Moreover, the media draft law included several terms and words which could be described as elastic and incomprehensible, according to the statement, such as “spreading hatred, incitement, threat of democracy", and many others. Several other notes were listed in the statement, commenting on some of the privileges granted to journalists by the draft law, including criminalizing any attack on journalists while on duty.

Article 100 of the new law states that: “Any person who transgresses a journalist during or because of his work shall be punished by imprisonment and a fine of not less than LE 10,000 and not more than LE 20,000 or one of these penalties.”

During the Parliament's plenary session on Sunday, MP Heikal, said that the draft law covers all aspects of media and press activities in Egypt, and does not include any articles that could send journalists to jail in publication offences.

CAIRO - 12 June 2018: The Parliament approved on Monday the two government-drafted laws aimed to regulate the National Press Authority (NPA) and the National Media Authority (NMA). The two draft laws are among the three draft laws submitted by the Cabinet to regulate Egypt's Supreme Council for Media Regulation(HCMR), the National Media Authority(NPA), and the National Press Authority(NMA).